Lucknow Court Issues Notice To AAP MP Sanjay Singh In ₹10 Lakh Defamation Suit Filed By Company Over Alleged Slanderous Remarks

A Lucknow Court has issued notice to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in a civil defamation suit claiming Rs.10 lakh damages, filed by Rashmi Metaliks Limited against his allegedly false remarks in a recent press conference.

The Court of Civil Judge Poornima Pranjal has directed Singh to appear before it on October 16.

The plaintiff-company is based in Kolkata and has been given work tender for supply of pipes for Jal Jeevan Mission by the Government of India.

As per the plaint filed though Advocate Siddharth Shankar Dubey, Singh labelled the company as "Bhrashtachari" (corrupt) and accused it of supplying low quality pipes. Allegedly, in a press conference held on 8th August at the State Office of Aam Aadmi Party, Singh stated that the company has been rejected by the Governments of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu and Kashmir Governments for corruption and low quality of supply, not usable by human beings.

The said video footage was tweeted from Aam Aadmi Party's verified Twitter account and widely publicized on the social media platform, the plea avers.

The Plaintiff claims that the impugned statements are false, baseless, concocted, and incorrect. The MP, in his press conference, has not only suppressed the material fact but also molded it in a way that gives a wrong impression about the plaintiff company, it says.

"The said allegation has been made in thin air and are devoid of any merit as the Plaintiff company has no nexus with any allegation and all the remarks made against it are born out of sheer malice only to belittle the image of the Plaintiff company and thereby gain political mileage and cheap publicity," the petition states.

Seeking damages of Rs. 10 lakh, the plaintiff-company submits that the contents of the statements made by the MP carry massive adverse ramifications for the reputation of the company and its' business, built after performing consistently over several years.

The plea also seeks the removal of the said video footage from social media.

The matter has been listed on October 16, 2021.

Also Read: Supreme Court Refuses To Stay Non-Bailable Warrant Issued By UP Court Against AAP MP Sanjay Singh In 'Hate Speech' Cases

Case Title: M/s Rashmi Metaliks Limited v. Shri Sanjay Singh